From the box: Park Hill blanks Ruskin 23-0

A snap over the head of Ruskin’s punter on their first possession resulted in a safety for Park Hill in the opening minutes of the first quarter gives the Trojans a quick 2-0 lead that would hold up the rest of the night. Park Hill added three more scores but the first safety was enough as the Trojans won 23-0.

Following the safety and ensuing kickoff, the Trojans put together an offensive drive that ended with a five yard Eddie McDonald touchdown run for Park Hill, putting them up 9-0 early in Friday night’s contest at Park Hill District Stadium. Two possessions later it was another turnover leading to a Trojan score when Ruskin quarterback Tino Martin threw an interception to Trojan cornerback Gage Wright. The ensuing drive required Park Hill to only go a short 25 yards in four plays which was capped off with a Chris Heustis six yard touchdown run.

At that point, early in the second quarter, it was easy to imagine the Trojans running away with game, but several of their later drives stalled just outside the red zone leaving the score unchanged going into halftime. Adding to Park Hill’s offensive frustrations was the loss of starting tailback Jordan Wang to a shoulder injury for what could be anywhere from six to ten weeks.

With only 43 yards of total offense, Ruskin was unable to move the ball past midfield into Trojan territory in the first half. Their closest opportunity came early in the second half when Park Hill quarterback Tyler White was intercepted by Ruskin’s Valdore Crowder gaving the Eagles possession at the Trojans’ 20-yard line. A fourth down attempt several plays later from the eight yard line resulted in a sack and loss of downs leaving Ruskin empty handed. The Eagles ended the night with 135 yards in total offense.

McDonald came alive again at the end of the third quarter when he added 64 of his 144 rushing yards, on a long dash to the end zone. This would represent Park Hill’s final score, putting them up 23-0 and sealing the week two victory. Ruskin falls to 0-2 on the season with a matchup at Sedalia Smith-Cotton next week. Park Hill improves to 2-0 and heads into their rivalry match with Park Hill South to decide the ‘King of the Hill’ next Friday.